Children need an energy boost when the school day ends. The trick is to find after-school snacks that meet your kids’ desire for something tasty and fun while providing the healthy nutrition you know they need. Keeping tasty and nutritious snacks on hand so they’re instantly available will help keep you and your kids from reaching for empty calorie chips and sweets to tame the after-school munchies.
Horizon Education tip: Children like to eat what they make, so pass out the aprons and let your kids help with snack prep.
Fast, Fun After-School Snacks
Use these food tips from our after-school programs staff to create fast and fun after-school snacks for your kids:
Stick It. It’s more fun to eat anything served on a stick. Let your children thread grapes or fruit chunks onto wooden kitchen skewers to create edible caterpillars. Cheese cubes, turkey dog “coins,” and cut veggies can also be skewered. Stick a Popsicle stick (available at craft stores) into a melon wedge or banana half for easy eating.
Dunk It. Kids will eat lots of things if they can dunk them in sauce. Ketchup and ranch dressing are dipping favorites but try sliced vegetables in hummus or cheese sauce, apples in peanut butter, bananas in yogurt or bread sticks in pizza sauce.
Roll It. Tortilla roll-ups make great portable snacks. Layer one with slices of meat, cheese and veggies or spread with peanut butter and raisins or apple slices and shredded cheese (heat to melt cheese).
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